5 September 2022, Nyon – Footballing legend Lionel Messi has kicked off a new fundraising campaign with Mastercard supporting Save the Children, that sees him in a new video reflect on how football gave him the opportunities that many children are deprived of.

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The campaign will promote sports and educational activities as driving forces for change in UK, Italy and Spain. Messi will be joined by global Mastercard ambassadors Jordan Henderson, Giorgio Chiellini and Álvaro Morata.

This partnership will support Save the Children in the new initiative that aims to help children in poverty realise their potential through the power of football, other sports and educational activities, such as literacy and the arts.

Messi is joined by some of the best footballers from the UK, Italy and Spain to drive donations and support local children in each of their countries. Liverpool captain and England midfielder Jordan Henderson heads up the UK’s programme, which aims to help disadvantaged children under 16 access free activities throughout the 2023 summer holidays. Encouraging young people to build life skills and engage in ongoing learning and development is a core part of Save the Children’s work, and UK donations will help support 600 families and over 1,000 children in Manchester and North Tyneside.

Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini launches the campaign next week among his fans, aiming to raise funds to enable children and young adults in the country’s most disadvantaged neighbourhoods to access Punti Luce education centres that promote free access to educational activities, a healthy diet and provide a broad range of sport and activity workshops, from football to volleyball and sailing – activities that would otherwise be completely inaccessible to those living in deprived and underserved neighborhoods.

In Spain, international and Atlético Madrid striker Álvaro Morata is driving donations to support 220 children in poverty and at risk of social exclusion. The holistic programme will see them given psychological support while providing opportunities to play sport and study values and creativity.

Giancarla Pancione Marketing and Fundraising Director at Save the Children Italy, said  “The number of children and teenagers in poverty throughout Europe dramatically rose in the last decade. This amplifies educational inequalities and penalises the future of the most disadvantaged girls, boys and teenagers, who are paying the heaviest price. This partnership is a way of joining forces and putting our best resources at their service, in order to fulfill their potential and built a brighter future.”

Mastercard is supporting the programmes by providing the technology to allow people to donate to the cause, and matching donations up to €300,000. The campaign forms part of Mastercard’s Cause Enablement work, in which it is transforming the digital donation world to make it easier for charities to connect donors to causes, and make seamless giving possible for everyone, everywhere. The donation widgets will be accessible through links from the ambassador, Mastercard, and partner social media channels as well as through ad banners on UEFA.com and Priceless.com editorial.

“At Mastercard, we have long believed in using our business for good. It’s hugely important to us that our technology and networks can power giving for sustainable impact,” said Jeannette Liendo, Senior Vice-President for Marketing and Communications at Mastercard Europe. “We’re so proud of this campaign and hope it, and our brilliant global ambassadors will help to drive home the message that any child can aim for the stars as long as they have the right resources behind them.”

Urs Kluser, General Secretary at the UEFA Foundation for Children, said “This generous support from Mastercard will make a big difference to the programme beneficiaries. It will allow more children in need to grow up healthy, to have access to education and sport, and get a chance for a better future.”